[dropcap]C[/dropcap]OMMUNIST Party of India (Marxist) has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court for production of party leader Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, who has been under detention in Kashmir besides several other political leaders.
The habeas corpus plea has been filed by party’s general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleging that there has been no contact with Tarigami since a clampdown was imposed on the state on August 4 evening, a day before government scrapped social status of the state and divided it into two Union Territories.
The 72-year-old leader is a member of the central committee of the CPI(M) and four-time MLA of the dissolved J&K Assembly.
The matter was mentioned by advocate Shadan Farasat before the Bench of Justice NV Ramana on Saturday.
The writ petition that has been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution stated that the senior political leader is under illegal detention by the Centre without any reasoning or order passed.
The plea will be heard by the apex court on August 26.
Yechury and his party colleague D Raja had gone to Srinagar to meet Tarigami and other party leaders soon after Centre’s Kashmir move following which several political leaders and activists were taken into custody. However, citing security reasons, they were not allowed to step out of the Srinagar airport.
Claiming that he had informed the J&K Governor a day earlier through a letter, Yechury later slammed the authorities for acting in an “anti-democratic and authoritarian” way.
On Saturday, Yechury once again visited Srinagar as part of a nine-member Opposition team, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. However, the team was denied permission to move out of the airport.
Once again detained at Srinagar airport. This time along with 11 political leaders representing 9 political parties. In response to the judicial order that was read out to us we collectively protested our detention and gave this reply to be conveyed to the Governor ?? pic.twitter.com/n7qDb2cIJW
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) August 24, 2019
Government has revoked special status of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the only Muslim majority state in India, as an attempt to change its demography, had earlier said in a press conference.
Maintaining that “misinformation” was being spread over the state, he said it was being done to “ensure converting a secular democratic India into the RSS’s vision of a Hindu Rashtra. That is the fascistic project.”
